Pinellas County Sex Offender Registry
Pinellas County sex offenders and sexual predators must register with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office through its dedicated Sexual Predator and Offender Tracking (SPOT) Unit, and the public can search the full registry through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This page covers how the SPOT Unit works, where and when to register in Pinellas County, and how to find offender records in the Clearwater and St. Petersburg area.
Pinellas County Quick Facts
Pinellas County SPOT Unit Overview
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) takes a focused approach to sex offender supervision. Rather than folding registration into general law enforcement duties, PCSO created a specialized unit dedicated entirely to this work. The Sexual Predator and Offender Tracking Unit, known as the SPOT Unit, was established in 2000 to handle the growing number of registered sex offenders and sexual predators in Pinellas County. The unit operates countywide and handles all registration activity for the county.
The SPOT Unit's mission goes beyond just processing registration paperwork. According to PCSO, the unit's goal is to be proactive and aggressive in monitoring, tracking, and enforcing Florida state statutes that relate to registered sexual predators, sex offenders, and career offenders. That language is deliberate. Pinellas County does not treat sex offender registration as a passive record-keeping task. The SPOT Unit actively investigates suspected violations, conducts surveillance, and pursues criminal charges when offenders fail to comply with their registration duties in Pinellas County.
You can learn more about the SPOT Unit and PCSO services at pinellassheriff.gov.
The PCSO homepage provides access to SPOT Unit information, the sex offender registry search tool, and public safety resources for Pinellas County residents.
Where and When to Register - SPOT Unit Location
Registration in Pinellas County happens at the SPOT Unit office, which is located on 49th Street North in Clearwater. This is the only authorized registration site for sex offenders and predators in Pinellas County. You must appear in person. There is no online or mail-in registration option. If you are required to register in Pinellas County and you have not yet done so, go to the SPOT Unit office during open hours.
The SPOT Unit has limited hours compared to most sheriff's offices. Registration is only available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The office is closed Monday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Hours on those three days run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. When you go to the SPOT Unit, use the entrance and parking on the north side of the building. This is important because the building is large and the registration entrance is not immediately obvious. Using the wrong entrance may cause you to miss your registration window, and arriving late can mean your registration does not get processed that day.
The SPOT Unit information page on the PCSO website confirms the location, hours, and contact details for sex offender registration in Pinellas County.
The SPOT Unit page at pinellassheriff.gov/spot lays out all registration requirements and office details for Pinellas County offenders.
| Unit Name | Sexual Predator and Offender Tracking (SPOT) Unit |
|---|---|
| Address | 14500 49th Street North, Clearwater, FL 33762 |
| Registration Days | Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday ONLY |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Parking / Entrance | North side of building |
| Phone | 727-582-SPOT (7768) |
| spot@pcsonet.com | |
| Website | pinellassheriff.gov/spot |
What the SPOT Unit Does in Pinellas County
The SPOT Unit does far more than accept registration forms. It is a full-service enforcement and monitoring unit with responsibilities that extend across the entire county. Understanding what the SPOT Unit does helps explain why Pinellas County takes sex offender supervision seriously and why compliance with all registration requirements is not optional.
The unit handles initial registration for all new registrants in Pinellas County. But ongoing work takes up most of the SPOT Unit's time. Every registered sex offender in Pinellas County must re-register on a schedule. How often depends on their status. Some offenders re-register monthly, others quarterly, and others every six months. Sexual predators face the most frequent re-registration schedule under Florida Statute § 775.21. The SPOT Unit processes all of these re-registrations and maintains the records for every offender in Pinellas County.
The SPOT Unit's responsibilities include:
- Initial registration of all new sex offenders and predators in Pinellas County
- Monthly, quarterly, or bi-annual re-registration based on each offender's status
- Maintaining all registration paperwork and records
- Conducting neighborhood notifications when required by law
- Verifying home and work addresses to confirm compliance
- Initiating criminal cases for suspected registration violations
- Conducting surveillance operations and gathering intelligence on high-risk offenders
The SPOT Unit also leads community awareness efforts in Pinellas County. They provide tools for the public to search the registry and receive alerts. This dual role, enforcement on one side and public information on the other, is what makes the SPOT Unit a model for county-level sex offender management in Florida.
Registration Requirements and Re-Registration Schedule
Sex offenders in Pinellas County must provide a full set of personal information when they register with the SPOT Unit. This is required under Florida Statute § 943.0435, which governs sex offender registration statewide. The SPOT Unit collects name and any aliases, date of birth, race, sex, social security number, eye color, hair color, height, weight, and any tattoos or identifying marks. A current photo and palm prints are taken at the registration office. Home address, employment information, school enrollment, all email addresses, and online usernames are also required. Every vehicle the registrant owns or uses must be listed with the VIN and vehicle description.
Re-registration works differently depending on your classification in Pinellas County. Standard sex offenders typically re-register twice a year. Sexual predators must re-register four times per year. Career offenders may face monthly re-registration requirements. Missing a re-registration date is treated the same as failing to register at all. It is a criminal offense. The SPOT Unit tracks re-registration schedules for all Pinellas County registrants and follows up on anyone who does not appear as required.
The 48-hour initial registration deadline applies to Pinellas County as well. If you move to the county, are released from custody in the county, or are convicted of a qualifying offense there, you have 48 hours to report to the SPOT Unit. Plan your visit to fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. If you arrive outside of those days, the office will not be open and you will have missed the window. The SPOT Unit does not offer exceptions for scheduling issues. Call 727-582-7768 or email spot@pcsonet.com in advance if you have questions about your registration timeline in Pinellas County.
Address changes and vehicle changes must both be reported within 48 hours, just as in every other Florida county. Under § 943.0435, any change to the information you have registered must be reported promptly. The SPOT Unit enforces this rule actively. If an address verification check reveals that an offender has moved without reporting, the unit will open a criminal case. Probation conditions under § 948.30 may add further requirements on top of the state registration rules for those on supervision in Pinellas County.
Neighborhood Notifications and Community Awareness
One of the SPOT Unit's key functions is keeping Pinellas County communities informed about registered sex offenders and predators in their area. Florida law requires active notification in certain circumstances, and the SPOT Unit carries out those notifications. When a sexual predator moves into a neighborhood, the SPOT Unit can contact nearby schools, child care facilities, and community organizations to let them know. This is not discretionary. For sexual predators, neighborhood notification is a legal requirement under § 775.21.
Beyond mandatory notifications, PCSO offers two public-facing tools that let Pinellas County residents monitor the registry on their own. The first is a neighborhood search map. This interactive map lets you view the locations of registered sex offenders in Pinellas County by address or area. You can zoom in on your neighborhood and see pins for every registered offender nearby. The map pulls data directly from the FDLE registry, so it reflects current registered addresses in Pinellas County.
The second tool is an automatic email notification service. You sign up with your email and select the areas or specific offenders you want to watch. When a change happens, such as a new registration, a change of address, or a status update, you receive an email alert. This service is free. It is one of the most useful tools available to Pinellas County residents who want to stay informed about sex offender activity near schools, parks, or their homes. You can also sign up for email alerts through the statewide Florida Offender Alert service at floridaoffenderalert.com, which covers all of Pinellas County and the rest of Florida.
Searching the Pinellas County Sex Offender Registry
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains the official sex offender and predator registry for all of Florida, including Pinellas County. The SPOT Unit sends all registration data to FDLE, which updates the searchable public database. Anyone can search the registry for free. No account or personal information is required to run a search.
Go to offender.fdle.state.fl.us to search the Pinellas County registry. You can filter by county, city, or zip code, or search by name. Each result shows the offender's registered address, current photo, physical description, and offense history. Sexual predators in Pinellas County are clearly labeled in the search results and shown in a separate category from standard sex offenders. This makes it easy to identify the highest-risk individuals registered in Pinellas County at any given time.
Keep in mind that the database shows the most recently registered address. If an offender has moved and not yet updated their registration with the SPOT Unit, the displayed address may be stale. PCSO address verification checks help catch these gaps, but there can be a window between when someone moves and when the violation is discovered. For the most current status, you can contact the SPOT Unit directly at 727-582-7768 with specific inquiries about Pinellas County offenders. The national sex offender registry at nsopw.gov also includes Pinellas County data for users conducting multi-state searches.
Cities in Pinellas County
Pinellas County includes several large cities along the Gulf Coast. All sex offenders in any of these cities must register with the SPOT Unit at the 49th Street North location in Clearwater. There is no separate registration site for different cities within Pinellas County.
Nearby Counties
Pinellas County borders Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Sex offenders who move from Pinellas to either of these counties must notify PCSO and register with the new county's sheriff's office within 48 hours.